The Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/ Airien Ludin and Review of Loose Threads

Airien Ludin is an author/illustrator from Indonesia currently based in Providence, Rhode Island. Influenced by Indonesian art and culture from a young age, she became interested in visual storytelling. Her passions led her to attend art school for visual communication. She aspires to cultivate interactivity and bonding in media through storytelling, making books that would lead to thoughtful conversations regarding our everyday lives.

Her book, My Memory Thread, won the silver medal for the Key Colours Competition of 2022 and was published by Clavis Publishing the following year, marking the start of her journey.

Dutch book cover - a young girl hugs a bunny as a string outline of her mother looks at her and reaches down from above. A swirl and knotted bunch of thread and crafts items wrap around her.

Airien’s debut picture book, originally published as Ikat~Ingat (in Indonesian - translated as My Memory Thread in English) and Losse Draadjes (in Dutch), Loose Threads: A Story About Me, Mom, and Dad, was released in the U.S. on November 19th.

Welcome Airien,

Tell us a little about yourselves. (Where/when do you write or illustrate? How long have you been writing and illustrating?)

I’ve been drawing since I was a kid, really. I’ve always been in love with art. My father works in design, so I’ve been exposed to the art world since I was young and was encouraged to keep pursuing it. I’m also quite sentimental about picture books. My mother would go out of her way to get me international picture books where access to them in my country was scarce. She then would read them to me even after a long hard day at her work. I’ve always had this connection with them, so I’m happy I could make my own picture books now.

Sounds like a precious time with your mother. What is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve created an illustration?

Currently, I’m very fortunate to have a studio space, that being a desk I can put everything into. But sometimes, here and there, I still go back to old habits and work on the floor, or my bed with a folded desk. It’s definitely not good for my back or hands, after being stuck in that position for a while, they start hurting. But old habits die hard.

That is so true. What was your inspiration or spark of interest for Loose Threads: A story About Me, Mom, and Dad?

Book cover - a young girl hugs a bunny as a string outline of her mother looks at her and reaches down from above. A swirl and knotted bunch of thread and crafts items wrap around her.

I made this book as I was remembering my grandfather. I was close to him and admired him a lot. When he passed, I remembered not understanding what had happened, I couldn’t fathom that he was just gone. This happened while I was young. This process is so vague to me, even now, as I tackle loss more and more into adulthood.

Additionally, my mother is a cancer survivor. The times I would await her during her chemotherapy, and just the uncertainty of her well-being through it, was all incredibly scary. My mother is a very strong woman, so she powered through it all. But seeing her weakened state during those times was difficult.

I was hoping by writing this book I could help future children to cope with these feelings, and also help myself.

I'm glad your mom pulled through. I think you captured the range of emotions, uncertainty, and process of grieving beautifully in this book. What is the hardest or most challenging thing about writing and illustrating Loose Threads? And what was the most fun?

What was most difficult was definitely the subject matter. Trying to tackle such a sensitive topic for a child audience was a daunting task. I interviewed a children’s psychologist, reviewed various sources from journals and articles, and played with my nephews and nieces more, trying to piece this narrative together that hopefully conveys this topic in a meaningful way.

What I found the most fun was the illustrating. After all that research and writing, cross-referencing sources, and rewriting my script over and over again, illustrating it became second nature. As I was writing, I’d already started envisioning what the spreads would look like, so starting the storyboard felt very natural. After that, everything went by in a blur.

Your research and emotions are very evident in the text and the illustrations. Is there a spread that you were especially excited about or proud of? Or perhaps one which is your favorite spread?

Internal image - on the left, the deceased mother is roughly represented by by yarn hugging the girl. On the right, a spinning top pulls apart the yarn and the bunny.

Text & Image © Airien Ludin, 2024.

When the strings start to unravel. I loved drawing the image of the mother being this large being made up of all this yarn. And how it all bursts out. I love using pinks also, so it felt extremely fun to draw and color. It’s become my personal favorite spread from the book.

This is such a powerful illustration! How many revisions did the text or illustrations of Loose Threads from first draft to publication? Did you have to make changes for different language publications?

Oh, quite a lot. I don’t even remember how many.

One of my most significant rewrites and redraws was for the page where the main character was displaying her anger. The first rendition had her express her anger outwardly, but after suggestions from people, parents, and children, I had to rethink what anger was like when you are confronting grief. Anger in grief (at least it is for me) felt more inwards, as it is directed to oneself. It was more like frustration. So, I rewrote and redrew this page to reflect that.

I wrote Loose Threads in both Indonesian and English at the same time, having their scripts going off one another. This is mainly because even though I’m bilingual, I don’t feel particularly proficient in either language (haha). Writing has always been a hard subject for me, that’s why I enjoy visual storytelling so much. Sometimes you don’t even need words! The editors from Clavis helped me a lot with the text revisions and translations, they were all lovely people, and extremely helpful.

Internal spread - as everything, including the stuffed bunny unravels, the girl curls in on her self with her grief and anger.

Text & Image © Airien Ludin, 2024.

This illustration so poignantly captured the girl's anger and grief. Many illustrators leave treasures or weave special images (or elements) throughout the illustrations. Did you do this in Loose Threads? If so, could you share one or more with us?

I love to tell stories in the colors I chose. If you were to notice, the story starts off with a lot of warm colors, particularly of pinks and peaches, which completely disappear when the mother passed away. These pinks represent the mother, while the blues represent the grief. I hoped this is conveyed well in the story. I used a lot of imagery of stitching things together too, and some things may not end up perfect, but that’s the beauty of it!

This shift in the colors is really clear and the bunny at the end is - perfect! What's something you want your readers to know about Loose Threads?

That grief is a process where nothing is completely understood.

Or every completely "healed." Are there any new projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?

I have a book upcoming in Indonesia, where I was the illustrator. But other than that, currently I am starting my graduate studies in the US! So having my book published here at the same time as I am in the country is incredibly exciting!

I’m having a lot of fun in my grad school too, as I can have time again to work on my craft and make even more meaningful things, and really think about my work again. It’s been wonderful!

Good luck with your graduate studies. It will be exciting to see what you create next. Last question, what is your favorite National Park or Forest, regional park, or city park (anywhere in the world)? Or the one you’re longing to visit. Why?

Photo of lake in the Roger Williams Park, Providence Rhode Island.

Since I’ve just arrived in the US, I’ve been noting a lot of national parks to visit! Hopefully I will have time to visit them next summer. I walked through the Roger Williams Park in Providence last month, and it was incredibly lovely to see all the different shades of trees during the fall.

In Indonesia, there is also some national parks, and temples, and of course there are forests if you head to more rural areas, or rice paddies! I can’t pick just one!

Thank you, Airien, for sharing with us a bit about yourself and your new debut book.

And thank you so much for interviewing me! It’s been a joy.

To find out more about Airien Ludin, or to contact her:

Website: https://rienndin.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rienndin

Behance: https://www.behance.net/airienludin

Review of Loose Threads

This is a tough review for me to write, as it strikes just a little too close to home. I'm not sure if time ever fully sews up the hole(s) left by those we love and lose. Some are more jagged and stubbornly resist being mended. But I do think that this is a book that could be useful for families and kids of all ages. We all experience many of the same emotions and reactions to losing a loved one and safely exploring them through the experience of this young girl can be helpful and perhaps cathartic. A note in front endpages states that this story “is intended to be read aloud by an adult to a child.” This is a poignant, raw, picture book that offers readers a way to weave together the cut tangled strings left behind by the death of a loved one.

Loose Threads

Author/illustrator: Airien Ludin

Publisher: Clavis (2024)

Ages: 5-10

Fiction

Themes:

Loss, family, love, and resilience.

Synopsis:

In the embrace of love and warmth, Mom, Dad, and I share the most wonderful days, filled with tender hugs, creative arts and crafts, and delightful meals. But one day, mom gets sick. And she will never get better. Struggling to cope, I find myself tangled in a whirlwind of emotions. Yet, as Dad and I open up about our grief, the knots slowly loosen, allowing space for both cherished memories and newfound strength to emerge.

In this moving and heartrending tale crafted for children aged 5 and above, readers are invited to navigate the journey of loss, love, and resilience alongside a family facing an unimaginable loss. Honored with the esteemed Silver Medal at the 2022 Key Colors Competition, this beautiful story delicately explores the profound impact of a mother's sudden illness and passing due to cancer.

This touching narrative not only offers a glimpse into the depths of loss but also celebrates the enduring power of love and familial bonds. With each turn of the page, readers are reminded of the resilience of the human spirit and the capacity to find light in the darkest of times.

Complemented by professional resources in the back matter, this book provides valuable support and guidance for parents and caregivers navigating similar challenges. Perfect for sparking conversations about loss, love, and healing, this tale serves as a beacon of hope for families facing bereavement.

Opening Lines:

Today, I'm making a sweet little bunny plushie.

But it's not entirely finished yet.

What I LOVED about this book:

This opening text and spread of a cute bunny plushie in progress, is so sweet and beguiling. The soft colors, cute colorful buttons and the child's adorable "pattern" illustration seem like the perfect capture of a fun day crafting. But if you come back to it after reading the rest of the story, you will have a much different response. Especially to the string dangling off the table and the twisted cluster lying across the page.

Internal spread - upper left a tangled cluster of string trails off the upper edge. In the center, pieces of a plush bunnty under construction with buttons, pins on a chion, and a child's "pattern" drawing of the bunny. A piece of cut string trialing off the edge of the table.

I absolutely adore the way Airien Ludin visually represented the mother as the fabric of the family. The thread that bound them all together. The cloth coming out of the sewing machine and "holding" the moments of her sewing with her daughter, coloring as a family, and eating meals together. It is so tender and full of love. And the succinct text helps capture this warm, loving feeling from the child's point of view.

Internal spread - on the left mother at sewing machine, father standing to the side and child perched in a chair watching. On the right, spot illustrations of the mother and child seweing together, mother, father, and child snuggling and coloring, and the three of them around the dinner table.

Our day is filled with joy,

delicious meals, and warm hugs.

This is how it has always been at home.

This is how it is every day.

But, with the page turn, Mom's chair is empty, and the backgrounds get increasingly darker with scratchy, swirling masses of threads. Leading to a poignant, gray and rainy, wordless spread at a graveyard, as the dad and daughter stand apart from the others staring at a headstone. As the girl struggles with her feelings and loneliness, she doesn't talk to her Dad because "she doesn't want to disturb him." Finding a box of mom's things, including her almost finished bunny, the girl curls around the bunny . . . "It feels safe, just like before. But slowly, everything unravels in loose threads."

This is such an emotional image! Both comforting and disturbing. Up to this point, there have been faint threads and balls of tangled thread trailing through the pages. When the loose threads coalesce into the mother's loving embrace it is so tender and touching. Creating a very familiar longing feeling. Unfortunately, the girl gets hit by a small cyclone that spins everything apart, including the stuffed bunny. Tears accompany the child's self-recriminations about what she might have done to save her mother, "if only I had helped more," and lead to her finally letting loose in an explosive rage. The illustrations are stunning! Gorgeous use of color and stunning visual metaphors highlight and expand the text and the child's heartbreaking angst.

Her father's response and the ending is so very touching and just lightly teaching, showing ways this father and daughter found to acknowledge and weave the loose threads into and through their lives. The front pages offer suggestions for ways to read this book with a child and the end pages offer pointed questions to encourage communication between the child and adult reading them the story. This story is both a heart-wrenchingly tough and stunningly touching book about working through grief and loss and connecting the threads of our lives back together.

Resources:

Photo of a glass ball/ornament full of memory ribbons.

make a memory mobile, a memory stone, or a memory ornament/bauble (using thread, yarn, and or ribbon for your feelings or memories of your loved one.

watch a video on playing cat's cradle - the string game that the girl and her dad play in the book. Play it with a friend.

check out the Activities for grieving children and families from UC Davis - from ac oping chain to movement activities, to ways to remember and celebrate a loved one.